Embodiments described herein relate generally to load balancing within a switch fabric including, for example, destination-based hybrid load balancing within multi-staged switch fabrics.
Transmission of data from a source device to a destination device via a physical link (e.g., an Ethernet link) can be, for example, disrupted because of congestion at a queue configured to receive the data. In some instances, the disruption can cause head-of-line (HOL) blocking and/or result in the loss of at least portions of the data due to buffer overflow. Some queues within the physical link can be congested, while other queues within the physical link are under utilized. Congestion can be caused by limitations in the destination device, such as, being configured to receive data in the order it is sent.
Thus, a need exists for methods and apparatus for directing data between a source and a destination to minimize congestion based on destination limitations.